


gone but not forgotten

by strawberryfitzherbert



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, New Dream (Disney: Tangled), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23106385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryfitzherbert/pseuds/strawberryfitzherbert
Summary: Rapunzel struggles with the aftermath of growing up with Gothel.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 4
Kudos: 50





	gone but not forgotten

Rapunzel pressed a hand to her chest, her heart beating so hard against her ribcage she struggled to breathe. 

Her days were often filled with so many new experiences and interests she hardly had time to entertain her fears. At times they would press into her mind, the whispers too loud to ignore or push away with the novelty of the world outside her tower. When they did, he was there, pressing his lips to her temple and his hand running gently up and down her back. His calm presence grounded her and brought her back to the present.

Tonight, however, she sat alone on her bed with one hand on her chest and the other in a white-knuckle grip on her duvet. 

~~~~~~~  
Eugene excused himself from the parlor after dinner, where the King and Queen had been entertaining the diplomats from one of the Seven Kingdoms. She had been sitting next to him on the settee, sneaking shy, sweet glances toward him that he watched from the corner of his eye. He was about to reach for her hand when she suddenly went rigid beside him. 

He looked over at her, her face drained of color and her eyes dull. Abruptly, she stood and left the room, leaving the family in guests in a quiet surprise. The room exchanged puzzled glances with one another before returning to their conversation. Eugene fidgeted in his seat for a moment before deciding to follow her, glimpsing the hem of her dress as she rounded the corner to go to her new room.

He could hear the faint slam of her door that echoed down the halls as he took his time, trying to give her space to breathe. He understood how jumping into such a different life was a challenge, especially when that person had no knowledge of anything outside her own little world besides little glimpses here and there from books and brief experiences. 

He knocked on her door gently. "Blondie?" he called softly. He knocked again, waiting a moment for a response. When he didn't get one, he slowly pushed open the door and scanned the room for her, finding her tense form sitting on the edge of her bed, eyes shut tightly.

His heart ached as he moved over to her, kneeling in front of her to remove her hand from the death grip on her bed. She flinched at his touch, surprised at his presence. She opened her eyes, filled to the brim with tears that threatened to spill at any moment. Her chest heaved unevenly as she struggled to breath, his name leaving her lips no louder then a whisper.

~~~~~  
Through blurry eyes, she saw him rise from his knees in front of her and move to sit next to her on her bed, pulling her into an embrace. It was then her tears spilled over, the hand at her chest moving to cover her mouth to quiet her sobs as she turned her face into his shoulder.

She felt him shift to lift her in his arms, settling them against the fluffy pillows. She curled against him, trembling as her tears continued to slide down her cheeks and onto his doublet. She became vaguely aware of the gentle way his fingered moved in her hair, brushing it out of her face. She could feel the whisper of his breath against her ear, but she couldn't hear anything beside his heartbeat. 

~~~~~  
He didn't know how long they sat there, one of her hands gripping tightly to his doublet while the other continued to cover her mouth to stifle the sound of crying. He briefly wondered how often she would have to stifle her cries growing up, but the thought made him feel ill so he pushed it away and turned his attention back to her, whispering how much he loved her and how she would get through this, over and over again. 

As her trembling began to slow, he pulled her closer to him so he could brush his lips against her forehead.

~~~~~  
The flow of her tears trickled to a stop, the hand that still covered her mouth moving to wipe her eyes and cheeks. "How long have we been here?" she murmured, her voice thick with emotion. He felt him shrug under her, his fingers still moving in her hair. "Don't know," he whispered back. "Doesn't matter, as long as you feel better." He pulled away slightly to look at her face. "Do you feel better?"

She pulled out of his arms to sit cross legged, dropping her face in her hands. "I don't know," she admitted, the words muffled by her hands. She looked back at him as he reclined on his hands, concern etched on his face. 

~~~~~  
He held back from reaching for her, though all he wanted to do was hold her. He nodded at her response, waiting for her to say more. He was glad to see that some the dullness had disappeared from her eyes, though the light had yet to make a reappearance. She turned back to face away from him and began talk.

"Every single emotion I've been feeling since... That day in the tower... Just came crashing down on me I didn't know what to do. I couldn't control it. It felt like someone had gripped my lungs and twisted until I couldn't breathe... I was fine, until... I wasn't. It just happened so suddenly. I've never felt any of this before, ever in my whole life."

He listened to her ramble, coming up to sit closer to her. He understood. Everything had happened so quickly since her return she probably didn't have time to truly process everything.

"I just - I feel like I have to watch over my shoulder, like I'm afraid something is going to jump out and make me go back there. Sometimes it keeps me up, or wakes me up. I just can't stop reliving that night. Part of me even misses her, despite everything she did... Still does. Even though she's gone, she hasn't left me." 

He hummed in acknowledgment, unsure of how to respond, or if she even wanted him to respond.

~~~~~  
She glanced over her shoulder again and quirked a small smile at him. He sat in the same position, the corners of his mouth pulling up when he saw hers do the same. She scooted back to sit close to him again, moving a hand to his cheek. 

"Thank you, Eugene. For staying with me." 

He turned his head to press a kiss into her palm. "Of course, Sunshine." He sat up into a cross-legged position, pulling her into his lap so he could hold her again. She relaxed into his arms, her fingers mindlessly playing with a loose string on his shirt, drowsiness covering her like a heavy blanket. "You're not alone in this, Rapunzel," he murmured into her hair. She nodded against his chest, then shifted to press her lips to his neck, grateful for his company and unwavering devotion to her.

He hummed and moved them back against the pillows, and it was there they fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms with the unspoken promise to help the other fight their hidden battles.

**Author's Note:**

> Behind the Scenes: I've always wanted to see a story dealing with Rapunzel's struggles after she returns to her parents. Years of emotional abuse at the hands of someone who played the mother figure is something that can't always be easily waved away. Add all that on top of being thrust into a new life she had no idea of until her 18th birthday... That would put a stressor on anyone.
> 
> I attempted some research to make sure I was getting things right. I've (thankfully) never experienced what Rapunzel has so I left it vague because I don't want to undermine the reality of what this kind of abuse can do to a person in case I get it wrong.
> 
> Timeline: I would place this before "Before Ever After," not too long (maybe not even a month?) after she returns home. I was just a casual viewer of the show (nothing against the show, I actually liked what I watched when I did, I'm just not a huge TV show fan, that’s all!), but I noticed that Eugene often comes into her room at different points to check on her so I felt this sort of situation was fitting for his character.
> 
> I welcome all forms of constructive criticism... there is always room for improvement!
> 
> So sorry for the crazy long note. I hope you enjoyed this story, and thank you so much for reading!


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